30 Rock is coming back to NBC — to promote NBCUniversal shows

Cast and crew from the TV show &quot;30 Rock&quot; in the press room after the show won the Best Comedy series award, during the 2009 Emmy Awards

(Image credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

published 16 June 2020

What a week, huh?

NBC is bringing back 30 Rock for an hour-long special next month, in which Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer will all return as their characters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Before you get too excited, though, there's a catch. The announcement says this special will "highlight new and returning programming" from NBCUniversal's networks, and Variety notes it will "double as an upfront special" for the company as part of its presentation to advertisers. In fact, the Reporter says NBCUniversal's chair of advertising and partnerships will actually be featured in the special, and the announcement says it will include guests from across the company's portfolio, as well.

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Still, executives producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock in a statement celebrated this as an "excuse to (remotely) work together again," adding, "to quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone." 30 Rock, which is set behind the scenes of a fictional NBC show and frequently mocked the network throughout its run, aired its series finale more than seven years ago.

This comes after NBC brought back Parks and Recreation for a scripted reunion special in April, although that was a fundraiser to raise money for Feeding America which also essentially functioned as a new episode of the show. The 30 Rock special is set to air without commercials on NBC on Thursday, July 16, and it will be rebroadcast on USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, and CNBC before heading to the company's streaming service Peacock. So for all those who want to go to there, next month's your chance.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.